US7880151B2 - Beam positioning for beam processing - Google Patents

Beam positioning for beam processing Download PDF

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US7880151B2
US7880151B2 US12/039,535 US3953508A US7880151B2 US 7880151 B2 US7880151 B2 US 7880151B2 US 3953508 A US3953508 A US 3953508A US 7880151 B2 US7880151 B2 US 7880151B2
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sample
drift
fiducial
imaging
processing
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US20090218488A1 (en
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Andrew B. Wells
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FEI Co
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FEI Co
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    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01J—ELECTRIC DISCHARGE TUBES OR DISCHARGE LAMPS
    • H01J37/00—Discharge tubes with provision for introducing objects or material to be exposed to the discharge, e.g. for the purpose of examination or processing thereof
    • H01J37/30—Electron-beam or ion-beam tubes for localised treatment of objects
    • H01J37/304—Controlling tubes by information coming from the objects or from the beam, e.g. correction signals
    • H01J37/3045—Object or beam position registration
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01J—ELECTRIC DISCHARGE TUBES OR DISCHARGE LAMPS
    • H01J37/00—Discharge tubes with provision for introducing objects or material to be exposed to the discharge, e.g. for the purpose of examination or processing thereof
    • H01J37/30—Electron-beam or ion-beam tubes for localised treatment of objects
    • H01J37/305—Electron-beam or ion-beam tubes for localised treatment of objects for casting, melting, evaporating, or etching
    • H01J37/3053—Electron-beam or ion-beam tubes for localised treatment of objects for casting, melting, evaporating, or etching for evaporating or etching
    • H01J37/3056—Electron-beam or ion-beam tubes for localised treatment of objects for casting, melting, evaporating, or etching for evaporating or etching for microworking, e. g. etching of gratings or trimming of electrical components
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B82—NANOTECHNOLOGY
    • B82Y—SPECIFIC USES OR APPLICATIONS OF NANOSTRUCTURES; MEASUREMENT OR ANALYSIS OF NANOSTRUCTURES; MANUFACTURE OR TREATMENT OF NANOSTRUCTURES
    • B82Y10/00—Nanotechnology for information processing, storage or transmission, e.g. quantum computing or single electron logic
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B82—NANOTECHNOLOGY
    • B82Y—SPECIFIC USES OR APPLICATIONS OF NANOSTRUCTURES; MEASUREMENT OR ANALYSIS OF NANOSTRUCTURES; MANUFACTURE OR TREATMENT OF NANOSTRUCTURES
    • B82Y40/00—Manufacture or treatment of nanostructures

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to a method of accurately positioning a beam, such as an electron beam, ion beam or laser beam, for performing beam processing to create or modify microscopic structures.
  • a beam such as an electron beam, ion beam or laser beam
  • Charged particle beams, laser beams, and neutral particle beams are used in a variety of microfabrication applications, such as fabrication of semiconductor circuitry and microelectromechanical assemblies.
  • microfabrication is used to include creating and altering structures having dimensions of tens of microns or less, including nanofabrication processes.
  • Processing a sample refers to the microfabrication of structures on that sample. As smaller and smaller structures are fabricated, it is necessary to direct the beam more precisely. It has been found, however, that the impact point of a beam on a sample tends to drift over time. That is, when the operator instructs the system to position the beam at point P1, the beam actually ends up at position P2 a short time later.
  • the difference between the coordinates of the points P1 and P2 is referred to as the beam drift.
  • the drift can be caused by mechanical or thermal instabilities that cause slight movement of the stage on which the sample is positioned or of the elements that generate and focus the beam. While the drift is small, it becomes more significant as smaller structures are fabricated.
  • One method of accurately positioning a beam is to mill a fiducial, that is, a reference mark, and position the beam relative to the fiducial.
  • the term fiducial is used broadly to include any type of reference mark.
  • a beam is initially directed to image a fiducial and an initial offset to the desired location is determined.
  • the beam is periodically directed to image the fiducial and the positioning of the beam to the desired location is corrected by determining an offset between the observed coordinates of the fiducial and the original coordinates of the fiducial.
  • the offsets are then added to the beam positioning instructions so that the beam ends up at the desired location.
  • Repeated scanning of a fiducial with an ion beam degrades the fiducial, making it less useful for precise positioning.
  • a system which periodically scans a fiducial with a beam which does not damage the fiducial, while also using a beam to do microfabrication at a desired location.
  • a thin, vertical sample referred to as a lamella, is extracted to provide a vertical cross section of the structure.
  • a transmission electron microscope allows an observer to image extremely small features, on the order of nanometers or smaller.
  • a broad beam impacts the sample and electrons that are transmitted through the sample are focused to form an image of the sample.
  • a primary electron beam is focused to a fine spot, and the spot is scanned across the sample surface. Electrons that are transmitted through the sample are collected by an electron detector on the far side of the sample, and the intensity of each point on the image corresponds to the number of electrons collected as the primary beam impacts a corresponding point on the surface.
  • This technique can allow an observer to image features of sizes below one nanometer.
  • Samples are typically less than 100 nm thick.
  • a lift-out technique One technique to cut a sample from a substrate or bulk sample without destroying or damaging surrounding parts of the substrate is referred to as a “lift-out” technique.
  • a focused ion beam (FIB) is typically used to free the sample.
  • a lift-out technique is useful in analyzing the results of processes used in the fabrication of integrated circuits, as well as analyzing materials in the physical or biological sciences.
  • FIGS. 1-3 illustrate a commonly used sample preparation technique.
  • a protective layer 100 of a material such as tungsten is deposited over the area of interest on a sample surface 102 using electron beam or ion beam assisted deposition.
  • Fiducials 104 are milled near the region of interest to serve as reference markers for aligning the focused ion beam that will be used to cut the sample.
  • a focused ion beam using a high beam current with a correspondingly large beam size is used to mill rectangles 202 and 204 , respectively in front of and behind the region of interest, leaving a thin vertical sample section, lamella 206 , that includes a vertical cross section of the area of interest.
  • the stage is tilted and a U-shaped cut 302 is made at an angle partially along the perimeter of the lamella 206 , leaving the lamella hanging by tabs 304 at either side at the top of the sample.
  • the sample section is then further thinned using progressively finer beam sizes.
  • a probe (not shown) is attached to the lamella 206 and the tabs 304 are cut to completely free the thinned lamella 206 .
  • U.S. Pat. No. 5,315,123 for “Electron Beam Lithography Apparatus” to Itoh et al. teaches correction of electron beam drift in electron beam lithography.
  • the drift of an electron beam during the lithography writing process is determined by measuring a reference mark on the stage and the position of the beam is corrected for the beam drift while the beam is blanked as the stage is moved between circuit patterns.
  • the described technique uses a single reference mark for multiple circuit patterns and the stage moves between corrections, which can introduce errors into the positioning.
  • the technique is also limited to imaging fiducials outside the area being processed by the electron beam.
  • the invention provides a method and apparatus for correcting beam drift in charged particle beam systems.
  • Embodiments of the invention predict drift in a beam position and use the predicted drift to correct the beam positioning.
  • the beam position is preferably first aligned by imaging a fiducial that is located sufficiently close to the feature being processed so that the stage need not be moved between a step of imaging the fiducial and a step of processing the feature. After the beam is aligned, the beam processes the sample, and the beam drift is corrected while the beam is processing the sample.
  • the drift may be determined using a mathematical drift model in which the drift is characterized by an equation or a table, preferably determined from prior measurements of the position of the fiducial over a period of time. Using the model, periodic re-imaging of the fiducial allows drift to be predicted and corrected continuously over time.
  • FIG. 1 shows the first steps of a prior art method of extracting a lamella.
  • FIG. 2 shows trenches milled on either side of the region of interest.
  • FIG. 3 shows the lamella supported only by tabs.
  • FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the steps of creating one or more lamellae using a preferred embodiment of the present invention for accurate beam positioning.
  • FIG. 5 shows a lamella site with fiducials milled and a protective layer applied.
  • FIG. 6 shows the lamella site of FIG. 5 with trenches milled on either side of a lamella.
  • FIG. 7 shows a lamella ready to be extracted.
  • FIG. 8 is a graph of position versus time, showing drift and periodic realignment.
  • FIG. 9 is a flow chart showing drift correction while processing a sample.
  • FIG. 10 is a preferred computing system for implementing methods described herein.
  • a preferred method or apparatus of the present invention has many novel aspects, and because the invention can be embodied in different methods or apparatuses for different purposes, not every aspect need be present in every embodiment. Moreover, many of the aspects of the described embodiments may be separately patentable.
  • a beam controller directs a beam to specified coordinates using a beam controller coordinate system in response to a stored program or operator instructions. Because of misalignment and drift, the beam controller coordinate system does not correspond exactly to a sample coordinate system fixed with respect to the sample surface. Imaging a fiducial allows the controller to determine coordinate offsets to bring the beam controller coordinate system back into alignment with the sample coordinate system. During processing, however, the coordinate systems drift apart and become misaligned. In accordance with one aspect of the invention, this drift is modeled and the controller coordinates are modified during processing, so that when the beam controller directs the beam to a particular point specified in the beam controller coordinate system, the beam impact point on the sample surface more closely approximates the desired point.
  • a charged particle beam is positioned accurately for processing a sample by first aligning the beam using a fiducial that is sufficiently near the area being processed so that no stage movement is required between aligning and processing. This proximity eliminates positional inaccuracies and instabilities associated with stage movement and eliminates the need to change the magnification.
  • Imaging the fiducial for alignment can be performed by the same beam that is processing the sample or by using a different beam or imaging system.
  • the FIB can be used to process the sample, and a fiducial may be imaged by the scanning electron microscope or an optical microscope, thereby reducing damage to the fiducial from repeated FIB imaging.
  • the drift due to stage movement is greater than the drift caused by instabilities in the beam-generating column, so therefore relative motions between the two beams or microscopes can be disregarded.
  • An alignment can be performed while processing by having one beam image the fiducial at the same time that another beam processes the sample. Alternatively, processing can pause while an alignment is performed with either beam, and then processing can resume.
  • the drift is first characterized and modeled as a mathematical expression or a data table.
  • beam drift refers to unintended changes over time of the beam position, regardless of the source. The characterization is typically performed by repeated measurements of a known point over a period of time as described in more detail below.
  • the beam coordinates can be corrected by the beam controller, periodically or continuously, so that the beam is always directed to the desired position on the sample within a predetermined tolerance. Whether the beam position is corrected periodically or continuously depends upon the accuracy required.
  • the beam may be periodically realigned by imaging the fiducial and calculating new beam position offsets from the fiducial location.
  • the drift model can then be more accurately fit to the actual measured drift, correcting for drift between the periodic determinations of the actual coordinate offset.
  • lamella creation incorporating aspects of the invention is described herein in detail.
  • the invention is not limited to use in lamella creation.
  • Embodiments are useful in any precision charged particle or laser beam process, such as cutting, etching, drilling, imaging, and depositing on any substrate for any purpose.
  • a protective layer is deposited over the desired lamella location before imaging and/or milling.
  • the protective layer makes it harder to see features on the substrate so a fiducial mark is typically milled into the protective layer to help orient the beam and locate the proper place for a cut. Image recognition keyed to this fiducial can be used to find the locations for subsequent milling of the lamella.
  • FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an improved method of producing a lamella.
  • Machine-vision based metrology and image recognition, high-precision fiducial marks, automatic fiducial placement, and drift correction are preferably used to significantly improve lamella placement accuracy and precision.
  • the lamella extraction method is described, without the drift correction described herein, in more detail in PCT App. No. PCT/US07/82030, filed on Oct. 20, 2007, which is hereby incorporated by reference.
  • a wafer is loaded into a SEM/FIB system, such as a Certus Dual Beam System, commercially available from FEI Company of Hillsboro, Oreg., the assignee of the present invention.
  • lamella sites on the wafer surface are located preferably automatically using image recognition software. Suitable image recognition software is available, for example, from Cognex Corporation of Natick, Mass. Image recognition software can be “trained” to locate the desired lamella locations by using sample images of similar features or by using geometric information from CAD data. Automated FIB or SEM metrology can also be used to identify or help identify the lamella site. Metrology may consist of image-based pattern recognition, edge finding, automated defect redetection (ADR), center-of-mass calculations, blobs, etc.
  • ADR automated defect redetection
  • a thin protective tungsten coating is deposited over the lamella region using low voltage FIB-induced deposition to prevent damage during subsequent FIB processing.
  • step 406 a combination of low-precision fiducials and higher precision fiducials are milled. High-precision fiducials, such as the rectangles 506 shown in FIG. 5 , are milled at either end of the desired lamella location and allow the lamella location to be much more accurately determined. In a preferred embodiment, a suitable fiducial pattern will allow the final lamella placement to be accurate within 10 nm. The size and shape of the fiducial can be varied depending on the size, width, or location of the desired lamella.
  • a bulk protective layer 508 composed of, for example, tungsten or platinum is deposited over the lamella site to protect the sample from damage during the milling process.
  • FIG. 5 shows a lamella site 502 with a protective layer 508 deposited over the desired lamella location on a wafer surface 503 .
  • the high precision fiducials 506 are also preferably lightly backfilled with the protective material to protect them during future processing.
  • the ion beam or the electron beam images the fiducial and a coordinate offset is determined based on the measured coordinates of the fiducial compared to the actual coordinates of the fiducial known from previous imaging or from the fiducial milling step.
  • the coordinate offset is determined based on the measured coordinates of the fiducial compared to the actual coordinates of the fiducial known from previous imaging or from the fiducial milling step.
  • the FIB system navigates to the lamella site and begins to mill out the lamella as shown in FIG. 6 .
  • a larger ion beam with higher beam current is suitable for bulk material removal.
  • the lamella is preferably formed by using a FIB to cut two adjacent rectangles 612 on a substrate, the remaining material between the two rectangles forming a thin vertical wafer, lamella 610 , that includes an area of interest.
  • a typical cross-section mill pattern can be used coming in from both sides of the lamella, leaving a coarse lamella approximately 2 ⁇ m thick. While drift correction can be applied during step 412 , the rough nature of the cut typically makes the improved accuracy provided by drift correction unnecessary.
  • the lamella is then further thinned to approximately 800 nm with a cleaning cross-section mill on both sides in preparation for the undercut step.
  • step 414 the lamella is milled as shown in FIG. 7 to form an undercut 702 for a lamella sample 701 , and in step 416 the ion beam makes side cuts 704 , leaving the lamella hanging by a tab 706 on either side at the top of lamella.
  • step 430 the beam is moved to image the fiducial and new coordinates offsets are determined.
  • step 432 the lamella is thinned from both sides.
  • the coordinates of the beam are corrected in step 434 based on a predicted beam coordinate drift.
  • the beam correction of step 434 can be repeated in multiple steps during the thinning process or the correction can be applied continuously based on the predicted drift characteristics, without having to re-image the fiducial.
  • the determination of the drift model is described in more detail below.
  • the fiducial can be re-imaged whenever necessary during processing to update the coordinate offsets as shown in step 436 .
  • Thinning of the lamella may require a rotation or tilt of the sample. In such a case, the fiducial is re-imaged at least once and processing continues using a re-calculated predicted drift.
  • the beam is positioned again on the fiducial for a coordinate offset determination in step 440 .
  • the beam is then returned to the lamella for final machining to the desired thickness in step 442 .
  • the beam position coordinates are preferably corrected again in step 444 using the predicted drift without requiring the beam to be repositioned at the fiducial.
  • the fiducial can be re-imaged in step 446 whenever necessary to update the coordinate offsets.
  • the full pattern is cut with optional periodic re-imaging at one or more intermediate times during the process.
  • the offset is determined, an updated predicted drift is calculated, and cutting continues. While the cutting continues, the drift value is continually or periodically re-calculated and the offset value is continually re-updated.
  • step 448 low-kV cleaning is performed on the final thinned window with a 180 pA 5 kV FIB at 4.5 degrees of tilt.
  • a ten second cleaning mill on each face of the lamella produces a significant improvement in TEM imaging conditions. Milling is preferably performed using the milling pattern described in PCT Application No. PCT/US07/82163 to prevent bowing of the thin lamella.
  • the beam drift is modeled as a parametric function of time.
  • the function may include linear and exponential terms having coefficients determined by a best fit to a set of measurements of a fiducial position made at two or more different times.
  • the drift rate can, for example, be modeled as an exponentially decreasing function of time.
  • the position x can refer to measured position in any chosen direction, and multiple equations of this form can be used to describe drift in different orthogonal directions, as is known to those of ordinary skill in the art.
  • the drift distance can be predicted using a number of different methods.
  • the drift rate can be determined before starting the beam processing, or can be determined from the initial and intermediate alignments performed during a beam operation, such as cutting a lamella.
  • the drift equation given above has three unknown variables describing initial position, drift rate, and asymptotic position. It is thus necessary to have position data at exactly three distinct times in order to perfectly fit this form of curve to the data. For instances in which only one intermediate alignment is performed, position data is available for only two distinct times. However, an average drift rate parameter (b in the equation above) can be determined through prior experimentation. With this drift rate assumed, the parameters a and c can be derived using only two data points.
  • FIG. 8 shows an example of a beam-to-sample position versus time graph.
  • the graph is an exponential decay in offset versus time, asymptotically converging toward a steady-state value.
  • FIG. 8 shows that before the first cut, an alignment is made by imaging the fiducial and determining the offset to make the cut.
  • a correction is computed from the alignment and the predicted drift and the beam position is corrected according to the computed offset.
  • an intermediate alignment is made by imaging the fiducial and determining a corrected offset. At this time, a correction in the predicted drift curve is made if needed.
  • a first alignment is performed and then an intermediate alignment is performed. Between these intermediate alignments rough machining with a beam is performed while most of the drift occurs. After the intermediate alignment, an alignment before final machining is preferably performed. The predicted drift can then be used to modify the beam controller coordinates in order to machine the sample more accurately. The larger the number of alignments—or equivalently the more frequently the alignments take place—the better the estimate of the drift and the smaller the uncorrected drift error. Furthermore, since the drift rate is typically larger at the start of machining (immediately after a stage move), periodic realignment will help to improve the accuracy of the machining done in the first portion of the process as well. As described above, in some embodiments, the alignment can be performed with one beam while processing with a second beam.
  • the invention is also useful in obtaining very high-resolution images.
  • embodiments of the invention can reduce the effects of beam drift over the course of a single or multiple beam scans over the field.
  • the invention would be useful in forming an elemental map of a sample using secondary ion mass spectroscopy.
  • secondary ion mass spectroscopy SIMS
  • SIMS secondary ion mass spectroscopy
  • the invention could be applied to reduce beam drift during the acquisition of the SIMS image.
  • the imaging beam can be corrected for drift while it is forming the SIMS image.
  • a method of imaging a feature in a sample could include locating a fiducial in close proximity to the location of the feature to be imaged so that a stage holding the sample need not be moved between a fiducial-imaging step and a feature-imaging step.
  • the fiducial is then imaged with a first imaging beam to determine the position of the fiducial to use as an alignment marker for fine imaging.
  • An offset is determined to direct a second imaging beam to form an image of the feature.
  • a predicted drift is determined and corresponding offset values are updated to more accurately maintain the second imaging beam in the appropriate position to form the image.
  • the fiducial is re-imaged as necessary with the first imaging beam in order to determine an updated offset to maintain the second beam in the correct position for imaging.
  • the first and second imaging beams can be the same beam or different beams.
  • FIG. 9 shows a flow chart of an embodiment for processing a sample with a beam using drift prediction and alignment updates.
  • the processing can include, for example, cutting, deposition, or imaging using, for example, a charged particle beam, laser beam, cluster beam, or neutral beam. While the steps are described as being performed by an operator, some or all of the steps can be automated to be controlled by a computer without human intervention.
  • an operator images the fiducial and determines the offset for the start of the process.
  • the fiducial and the feature to be processed are preferably in the same field of view.
  • rough processing begins in step 904 .
  • the predicted beam drift is calculated in step 906 as described above, preferably using an exponential function of time.
  • the beam position is periodically updated to compensate for the calculated drift.
  • step 908 processing continues in step 908 using the corrected value.
  • a decision is made in step 912 as to whether it is necessary to re-image the fiducial.
  • the re-imaging of the fiducial is preferably performed at one or more intermediate times that may be pre-determined by the system operator or may be otherwise pre-programmed.
  • a computer may be programmed to position the beam to re-acquire and re-image the fiducial whenever a predetermined amount of time has lapsed since the last alignment or every time the amount of predicted drift exceeds a threshold value or a specified amount of time has passed.
  • step 912 If it is determined in step 912 that a new alignment is required, then the fiducial is re-imaged in step 914 and then processing continues in step 906 with updated drift correction as the processing continues. If it is determined in step 912 that a new alignment is not required, then new offsets are determined based on the calculated drift, and processing continues in step 908 .
  • step 910 When it is determined in decision block 910 that the rough processing is finished, a new image of the fiducial is obtained and a new offset determined in step 920 , and the fine processing is started in step 922 . During the fine processing, drift is calculated continuously or periodically and updated offsets are determined in step 924 . If it is determined in decision block 930 that processing is not yet complete, the system checks in decision block 932 to determine whether it is time to re-image the fiducial and determine new offsets. If a new alignment is required, the fiducial is re-imaged in step 934 and then processing continues in step 924 with ongoing drift correction.
  • step 924 new offsets are determined based on the calculated drift in step 924 , and processing continues until it is determined in decision block 930 that processing is complete. In some embodiments, no distinction is made between rough and fine processing, and the processing is completed with step 910 .
  • FIG. 10 shows a computer system for implementing the methods described herein.
  • the computer system enables a user to control the process of imaging a fiducial and cutting a lamella.
  • the computer system comprises a user interface 1002 comprising a display, an input device, as well as a computer 1004 , and a beam positioning system 1014 .
  • Computer 1004 comprises memory 1006 to store data and computer instructions.
  • a processor 1008 of computer 1004 executes instructions to perform pattern recognition 1010 and to calculate drift and offset 1012 .
  • Computer 1004 determines from its calculations a beam position signal and transmits this signal to beam positioning system 1014 which controls beam position.
  • the methods may be used for deep feature drilling, where periodic re-alignments make a hole straighter and narrower.
  • the fabrication of thin film heads used to read and write information to magnetic disks, such as computer hard disks requires accurate beam placement that can benefit from drift compensation. Parts of the thin film heads can be damaged by the beam, and so it is necessary to accurately place the beam without repeatedly scanning the beam over the delicate area.
  • a technique for fabricating thin-film magnetic recording heads is described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,045,275 to Lee et al. for “Thin-Film Magnetic Recording Head Manufacture,” which is assigned to the assignee of the present invention. Lee et al.
  • a reference marker element having a fixed spatial relationship to a structural element to be milled.
  • the reference element is located, and then the beam is moved relative to the reference element to position the beam to mill the first structural element. Beam drift while milling the structural element reduces the accuracy of the milling.
  • the methods described above may help to improve the milling accuracy.
  • Charged particle beam deposition processes can also benefit from the improved beam placement of this invention.
  • U.S. Pat. No. 6,838,380 “Fabrication of High Resistivity Structure Using Focused Ion Beams,” which teaches the use of a precursor to deposit a high resistivity structure, can incorporate drift correction.
  • the invention can also be applied to electron beam processing and imaging using a scanning electron microscope, neutral atom beams, and other beams.
  • sample refers to any type of work piece to which a beam is directed.
  • beam drift compensation includes the repair of photolithography masks and circuit edit, that is, altering microscopic circuits to create or sever connections.
  • the method described herein may be used in other machining or deposition processes where accuracy is important, using SEM, FIB, laser, or other machining methods.
  • the method may be used in imaging systems subject to large amounts of noise and requiring long image acquisition times, resulting in improved image quality.

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US20140061032A1 (en) * 2012-08-31 2014-03-06 Fei Company Dose-Based End-Pointing for Low-KV FIB Milling TEM Sample Preparation
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US10068749B2 (en) 2012-05-21 2018-09-04 Fei Company Preparation of lamellae for TEM viewing
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